Engineering topics

Santana, M

Publications and source records attributed to Santana, M.

8 records

DOE OSTI2012

Surface plasma source with saddle antenna radio frequency plasma generator

A prototype RF H{sup -} surface plasma source (SPS) with saddle (SA) RF antenna is developed which will provide better power efficiency for high pulsed and average current, higher brightness with longer lifetime and higher reliability. Several versions of new plasma generators with small AlN discharge chambers and different antennas and magnetic field configurations were tested in the plasma source test stand. A prototype SA SPS was installed in the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) ion source test stand with a larger, normal-sized SNS AlN chamber that achieved unanalyzed peak currents of up to 67 mA with an apparent efficiency up to 1.6 mA/kW. Control experiments with H{sup -} beam produced by SNS SPS with internal and external antennas were conducted. A new version of the RF triggering plasma gun has been designed. A saddle antenna SPS with water cooling is fabricated for high duty factor testing.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2012

H{sup -} radio frequency source development at the Spallation Neutron Source

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) now routinely operates nearly 1 MW of beam power on target with a highly persistent {approx}38 mA peak current in the linac and an availability of {approx}90%. H{sup -} beam pulses ({approx}1 ms, 60 Hz) are produced by a Cs-enhanced, multicusp ion source closely coupled with an electrostatic low energy beam transport (LEBT), which focuses the 65 kV beam into a radio frequency quadrupole accelerator. The source plasma is generated by RF excitation (2 MHz, {approx}60 kW) of a copper antenna that has been encased with a thickness of {approx}0.7 mm of porcelain enamel and immersed into the plasma chamber. The ion source and LEBT normally have a combined availability of {approx}99%. Recent increases in duty-factor and RF power have made antenna failures a leading cause of downtime. This report first identifies the physical mechanism of antenna failure from a statistical inspection of {approx}75 antennas which ran at the SNS, scanning electron microscopy studies of antenna surface, and cross sectional cuts and analysis of calorimetric heating measurements. Failure mitigation efforts are then described which include modifying the antenna geometry and our acceptance/installation criteria. Progress and status of the development of the SNS external antenna source, a long-term solution to the internal antenna problem, are then discussed. Currently, this source is capable of delivering comparable beam currents to the baseline source to the SNS and, an earlier version, has briefly demonstrated unanalyzed currents up to {approx}100 mA (1 ms, 60 Hz) on the test stand. In particular, this paper discusses plasma ignition (dc and RF plasma guns), antenna reliability, magnet overheating, and insufficient beam persistence.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2012

Low-energy beam transport studies supporting the spallation neutron source 1-MW beam operation

The H{sup -} injector consisting of a cesium enhanced RF-driven ion source and a 2-lens electrostatic low-energy beam transport (LEBT) system supports the spallation neutron source 1 MW beam operation with {approx}38 mA beam current in the linac at 60 Hz with a pulse length of up to {approx}1.0 ms. In this work, two important issues associated with the low-energy beam transport are discussed: (1) inconsistent dependence of the post-radio frequency quadrupole accelerator beam current on the ion source tilt angle and (2) high power beam losses on the LEBT electrodes under some off-nominal conditions compromising their reliability.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2012

Producing persistent, high-current, high-duty-factor H{sup -} beams for routine 1 MW operation of Spallation Neutron Source (invited)

Since 2009, the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) has been producing neutrons with ion beam powers near 1 MW, which requires the extraction of {approx}50 mA H{sup -} ions from the ion source with a {approx}5% duty factor. The 50 mA are achieved after an initial dose of {approx}3 mg of Cs and heating the Cs collar to {approx}170 deg. C. The 50 mA normally persist for the entire 4-week source service cycles. Fundamental processes are reviewed to elucidate the persistence of the SNS H{sup -} beams without a steady feed of Cs and why the Cs collar temperature may have to be kept near 170 deg. C.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2011

Towards Understanding the Cesium Cycle of the Persistent H{sup -} Beams at SNS

This paper describes the accomplishments of the SNS H{sup -} ion source, which delivers routinely {approx}50 mA at a 5.4% duty factor with {approx}99% availability, enabling 1 MW beams for neutron production with {approx}90% availability. It discusses the need for increasing reliability and beam current. But mostly it focuses on its unexpected feature: H{sup -} beams that are apparently persistent for up to 5 weeks without adding Cs after an initial dose of less than {approx}5 mg. Thermal emission and sputtering are qualitatively evaluated, and appear consistent with a negligible Cs sputter rate after the initial dose disappears from the Cs plasma. It concludes with a list of future experiments that can shed more light on this apparently unique Cs cycle.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

DOE OSTI2011

Performance of the H{sup -} Ion Source Supporting 1-MW Beam Operations at SNS

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory reached 1-MW of beam power in September 2009, and now routinely operates near 1-MW for the production of neutrons. This paper reviews the performance, operational issues, implemented and planned mitigations of the SNS H{sup -} ion source to support such high power-level beams with high availability. Some results from R and D activities are also briefly described.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

DOE OSTI2011

Ion Source Development at the SNS

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) now routinely operates near 1 MW of beam power on target with a highly-persistent {approx}38 mA peak current in the linac and an availability of {approx}90%. The {approx}1 ms-long, 60 Hz, {approx}50 mA H{sup -} beam pulses are extracted from a Cs-enhanced, multi-cusp, RF-driven, internal-antenna ion source. An electrostatic LEBT (Low Energy Beam Transport) focuses the 65 kV beam into the RFQ accelerator. The ion source and LEBT have normally a combined availability of {approx}99%. Although much progress has been made over the last years to achieve this level of availability further improvements are desirable. Failures of the internal antenna and occasionally impaired electron dump insulators require several source replacements per year. An attempt to overcome the antenna issues with an AlN external antenna source early in 2009 had to be terminated due to availability issues. This report provides a comprehensive review of the design, experimental history, status, and description of recently updated components and future plans for this ion source. The mechanical design for improved electron dump vacuum feedthroughs is also presented, which is compatible with the baseline and both external antenna ion sources.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

DOE OSTI2011

Surface Plasma Source Electrode Activation by Surface Impurities

In experiments with RF saddle antenna surface plasma sources (SPS), the efficiency of H{sup -} ion generation was increased by up to a factor of 5 by plasma electrode 'activation', without supplying additional Cs, by heating the collar to high temperature for several hours using hot air flow and plasma discharge. Without cracking or heating the cesium ampoule, but likely with Cs recovery from impurities, the achieved energy efficiency was comparable to that of conventionally cesiated SNS RF sources with an external or internal Cs supply. In the experiments, optimum cesiation was produced (without additional Cs) by the collection and trapping of traces of remnant cesium compounds from SPS surfaces. Such activation by accumulation of impurities on electrode surfaces can be a reason for H{sup -} emission enhancement in other so-called 'volume' negative ion sources.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗